MEMORIAL of ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE BISHOP & DOCTOR of the CHURCH VESPERS

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1 NOTES REGARDING VESPERS Adapted from the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, Congregation for Divine Worship The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office, consecrates to God the whole cycle of the day and the night. In the Liturgy of the Hours the Church offers to God without ceasing a sacrifice of praise, unites itself with that hymn of praise sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven, and expresses the prayers and desires of all the faithful for the salvation of the whole world. The CHURCH of the ASSUMPTION of the BLESSED VIRGIN MARY By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns. When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, Vespers is sung to give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the day. We recall the redemption through the prayer we send up like incense in the Lord's sight, and which becomes an evening sacrifice. To fix our hope on the light that knows no setting, we pray and make petition for the light to come down on us anew; we implore the coming of Christ who will bring the grace of eternal light. Lauds and Vespers are therefore to be accorded the highest importance as the prayer of the Christian community. The Liturgy of the Hours, like other liturgical services, is not a private matter but belongs to the whole Body of the Church, whose life it both expresses and affects. Wherever possible, other groups of the faithful should celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours communally in church. This especially applies to parishes the cells of the diocese, established under their pastors, taking the place of the bishop; they represent in some degree the visible Church established throughout the world. Hence, when the people are invited to the Liturgy of the Hours and come together in unity of heart and voice, they show forth the Church in its celebration of the mystery of Christ. MEMORIAL of ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE BISHOP & DOCTOR of the CHURCH VESPERS Please feel free to keep this booklet.

2 All pray in silence. PRAYER BEFORE THE OFFICE O Lord, open my mouth that I may bless your Holy Name; cleanse my heart from all vain, evil, and wandering thoughts; enlighten my understanding; kindle my affections, that I may worthily, attentively, and devoutly recite this Office, and may deserve to be heard before the presence of your divine Majesty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. O Lord, in union with that divine intention wherewith you, while here on earth, rendered praises unto God, I desire to offer this my Office of prayer to you. INTRODUCTION All stand and make the Sign of the Cross at O God. All pray, softly. PRAYER AFTER THE OFFICE R. To the Most Holy and undivided Trinity, to the Humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified, to the fruitful Virginity of the most blessed and most glorious Mary, ever Virgin, and to the whole company of the Saints, be everlasting praise, honor, and glory, by all creatures; and to us remission of all our sins, world without end. Amen. V. Blesséd be the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father. R. And blesséd be the breast which nourished Christ the Lord. All pray in silence: Our Father. Hail Mary. All bow from Glory to the Father to Holy Spirit.

3 All sing. MARIAN ANTIPHON HYMN All sing. Iste Confessor 8th cent. V. Ora pro nobis sancta Dei Genetrix. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

4 COLLECT Let us pray is not said. Celebrant. God our Father, you gave Robert Bellarmine wisdom and goodness to defend the faith of your Church. By his prayers may we always rejoice in the profession of our faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. R Amen. DISMISSAL Celebrant. The Lord be with you. R And also with you. V May almighty God bless you, + the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R Amen. V Go in the peace of Christ. R Thanks be to God.

5 V You for-gave the sins of your péo-ple when their holy leaders like Moses sought your com-pás-sion, * R through their intercession continue to purify and sanctify your ho-ly péo-ple. V In the midst of their brothers and sís-ters you anointed your holy ones and filled them with the Holy Spí-rit, * R fill all leaders of your people with the same Spí-rit. V You your-self are the only visible possession of our holy pás-tors, * R let none of them, won at the price of your blood, re-main fár from you. V The shep-herds of your Church keep your flock from being snatched out of yóur hand. Through them you give your flock e-tér-nal life, * R save those who have died, those for whom you gave úp your life. Celebrant. Now let us offer together the prayer our Lord Jesus Christ taught us: PSALMODY Antiphon 1 Cantor. V. He is my cóm-fort and mý refuge. * In him I pút my trust. Psalm 144 The cantor (V) sings the first half of each verse & the congregation (R) the second. V. Bless-éd be the Lórd, my rock, who trains my árms for bát-tle, * R. who pre-pares my hánds for war. He is my lóve, my fórtress; * he is my strong-hold, my sáv-ior my shield, my pláce of ré-fuge. * He brings peoples un-der mý rule. Lord, what is mán that you cáré for him, * mortal man, that you keep him ín mind; man, who is mére-ly á breath * whose life fades like a pass-ing shá-dow? I Low-er your héav-ens and cóme down; * touch the mountains; wreathe them ín smoke. Flash your líght-nings; róut the foe, * shoot your arrows and put them tó flight. Reach down from héav-en and sáve me; * draw me out from the migh-ty wát-ers, from the hands of ali-én foes whose móuths are fíll d with lies, * whose hands are raised in pér-jur-y.

6 All bow from Glory to the Father to Holy Spirit. Cantor. Antiphon. Glo-ry to the Fáth-er, and tó the Son, * and to the Ho-ly Spí-rit. As it was in the be-gín-ning, ís now, * and will be for-ev-er. Á-men. Antiphon 2 Cantor. V. Bless-ed áre the peo-ple * whose God is thé Lord. Psalm 144 The cantor (V) sings the first half of each verse & the congregation (R) the second. V. To you, O God, will I síng a néw song; * R. I will play on the tén-stringed Harp to you who give kíngs their víc-tory, * who set Da-vid your sér-vant free. You set him frée from the év-il sword; * you rescued him from á-lien foes whose móuths were fíll d with lies, * whose hands were raised in pér-jur-y. Let our sons then flóur-ish líke saplings * grown tall and strong from théír youth, our daughters gráce-ful ás columns, * adorned as though for a pá-lace. Let our barns be fíll d to ov-ér-flowing * with crops of év- ry kind; II E-sur-ientes implevit bó-nis: * et divites dimi-sit in-á-nes. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. Su-sce-pit Israel puerum sú-um, * recordatus misericor-di-ae-sú-ae. He hath received Israel his servant,being mindful of his mercy: Sic-ut locutus est ad patres nós-tros: * Abraham et semini e-ius in sáe-cu-la. As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. All bow from Gloria Patri to Spiritui Sancto. Glor-i-a Patri, et Fí-lio, * et Spiri-tu-i Sán-cto. Sic-ut erat in principio, et nunc, et sém-per, * et in saecula saecu-lo-rum. Á-men. Cantor. Antiphon. INTERCESSIONS The celebrant (V) sings or says the first half of each intercession & the congregation (R) the second. V Je-sus Christ is worthy of all praise, for he was appointed high priest among men and their representative be-fóre God. We honor him and in our weakness we práy: * R Bring salvation to your péo-ple, Lord. V You mar-velously illuminated yóur Church through distinguished leaders and holy men and wó-men, * R let Christians rejoice always in súch splendor.

7 Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary All stand & make the Sign of the Cross at Magnificat. The cantor (V) sings the first half of each verse & the congregation (R) the second. V. Mag-ni-fi-cát. + * R. anima me-a Dó-mi-num. My soul doth magnify the Lord. Et ex-sultavit spiritus mé-us * in Deo salu-ta-ri mé-o. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Qui-a respexit humilitatem ancillae sú-ae: * ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes gene-ra-ti-ón-es. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Qui-a fecit mihi magna, qui pót-ens est: * et sanctum no-men é-ius. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. Et mi-sericordia eius in progenies et pro-gé-nies * timen-ti-bus é-um. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. Fe-cit potentiam in brachio sú-o: * dispersit superbos mente cor-dis sú-i. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. De-po-suit potentes de sé-de, * et exal-ta-vit hú-miles. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. our sheep increasing by thóu-sands, myriads of shéep in óúr fields, * our cattle heav-y wíth young, No ruin d wáll, no éx-ile, * no sound of weep-ing ín our streets. Happy the péo-ple with súch blessings; * happy the people whose God is thé Lord. All bow from Glory to the Father to Holy Spirit. Cantor. Antiphon. Glo-ry to the Fáth-er, and tó the Son, * and to the Ho-ly Spí-rit. As it was in the be-gín-ning, ís now, * and will be for-ev-er. Á-men. Antiphon 3 Cantor. V. Now the vic-tór-i-óus reign * of our God hás begun. Canticle Revelation 11 The cantor (V) sings the first half of each verse & the congregation (R) the second. V. We praise you, the Lórd God Ál-mighty, * R. who is and whó was. You have as-súm d your gréat power, * you have be-gun yóur reign. The na-tions have raged in án-ger, but then cáme your dáy of wrath * and the moment to judge thé dead:

8 the time to reward your servants the próph-ets and the holy ónes who re-vére you, * the great and the small á-like. Now have salvation and pów-er come, the réign of óur God * and the authority of his A-noint-éd One. For the accuser of our bróth-ers is cást out, * who night and day accused them be-fóre God. They de-feated him by the blóod of thé Lamb * and by the word of their tes-ti-mó-ny; love for life did not deter thém from death. So re-jóice, you héav-ens, * and you that dwell thére-in! All bow from Glory to the Father to Holy Spirit. Cantor. Antiphon. All are seated. Glo-ry to the Fá-ther, and tó the Son, * and to the Ho-ly Spí-rit. As it was in the be-gín-ning, ís now, * and will be for- ev-er. Á-men. READING A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter. To the elders among you I, a fellow elder, a witness of Christ s sufferings and sharer in the glory that is to be revealed, make this appeal. God s flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd s care. Watch over it willingly as God would have you do, not under constraint; and not for shameful profit either, but generously. Be examples to the flock, not lording it over those assigned to you, so that when the chief Shepherd appears you will win for yourselves the unfading crown of glory. The word of the Lord and Thanks be to God are not said. RESPONSORY All stand. The cantor (V) sings the first half of each response & the congregation (R) the second. V. This is the man who loved his brethren and ever práyed for them. * R This is the man who loved his brethren and ev-er práyed for them. V He spent himself in their sér-vice. * R and ev-er práyed for them. All bow from Glory to the Father to Holy Spirit. V Glo-ry to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spí-rit. * R This is the man who loved his brethren and ev-er práyed for them. All are seated. CANTICLE OF MARY Antiphon 4 Cantor. V. O Christ, Good Shepherd, I thank you for leading me to gló-ry; I pray that the flock you have entrusted to mý care * will share with me in your glo-ry for-év-er.